Heartbroken mum of teen stabbed to death says government have 'blood on their hands'
11.05.2023 - 09:37
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A mum whose son was killed in a machete attack said the government's failures mean they have 'blood on their hands'. Heartbroken Kelly Brown, 47, was speaking as new figures show the deadly blades are being used in a crime every hour.
Machetes featured in almost 700 offences a month - six times more than eight years - as the weapon of choice for violent thugs. Kelly, whose son Rhamero West, 16, was stabbed to death in Old Trafford, in September 2021, believes the huge rise in the use of the knives shows vows to ban them were just empty promises.
Rhamero, the nephew of former Manchester City star Shaun Wright-Phillips, was chased down by a 'pack of wolves' before he was fatally knifed on Norton Street. A senior detective said it was a 'miracle' that members of the public were not caught up in the terrifying incident.
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Marquis Richards, 17, Ryan Cashin, 19, and Giovanni Lawrence, 20, were jailed after being found guilty of his murder. Kelly now campaigns against knife crime after setting up Mero's World – a foundation in her son's memory.
Her charity has opened a youth centre and secured life-saving bleed kits across the city.
She said: "The Government has blood on its hands. How many more murders do they need before they act and ban these machetes and knives?
"I knew they wouldn't do anything, they're trying to look good but are dragging their feet. It's empty promises and false hope."
Patrick Green, chief executive of the Ben Kinsella Trust, which campaigns against knife crime, said: "There is no legitimate reason why anyone would need to buy a machete in the UK. Machetes are designed for clearing land.
"They are also far too easy to obtain, a few